Les Canadiens méritent mieux que des gouvernements successifs qui nient les changements climatiques.
Quand les conservateurs vont-ils arrêter de nier les changements climatiques et mettre en place de vraies politiques de développement durable?
Hon. Peter Kent (Minister of the Environment, CPC): Mr. Speaker, it has been fascinating today to watch the New Democrats and the Liberals squabble over which opposition party has done or will do less to address climate change.
Our government is the first Canadian government to actually reduce greenhouse gases. We have decoupled emissions from economic growth. We have increased penalties for those found guilty of breaking our environmental laws. We have implemented a world-class monitoring system of the oil sands, and launched a web portal to allow scientists and all Canadians to look in.
Our government can balance protection of the environment with protection of the economy.
Mr. Peter Julian (Burnaby—New Westminster, NDP): Mr. Speaker, that desperate spin does not hide the fact that only the NDP has sustainable policies and that is why Canadians need an NDP government in 2015, because Conservatives failed in the climate change fight. They failed to make polluters pay for the pollution they create, they failed on a balanced approach to resource development, and Conservatives are happy to leave the bill to future generations. Canadians deserve better.
Will the minister stop denying climate change, start acknowledging the danger in the rise in global temperatures and support the NDP motion to combat climate change now?
Hon. Peter Kent (Minister of the Environment, CPC): Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Natural Resources has made it clear on any number of occasions in any number of venues just how important this government considers the climate change challenge to be. At the same time, the NDP would pick the pockets of hard-working Canadians with a $21 billion carbon tax. That would not guarantee the reduction of a single megatonne of greenhouse gases.
Our government has a plan. The NDP has no plan, other than to exploit hard-working Canadians.